Improvement in sewing-machines



- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN N. WILKINS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

IMPROVEMENT IN SEWING-MACHINES.

Specication forming part of Letters Patent No. 121,477, dated December5, 1871.

To all whom It may concern:

will enable others skilled in the art to which my invention appertainsto make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawing forming part of this specification, in which- Figure l is an endview of a part of a sewingmachine with my attachment connected thereto.Fig. 2 is a side elevation ot' my attach ment, showing those parts whichare at the left hand of line .fr a' drawn vertically in Fig. 1. Fig. 3is a vertical central section of the same, and Fig. l is a sideelevation, showing those parts which are the right hand of the line a0a.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the severalfigures of the drawing.

My invention has for its object to provide a mechanism, which isattached either to the presser-'oot or bedJ as may be necessary, havingregard to the construction ot' a sewing-machine, for the purpose ofstitching button-holes or other over-edge work and the improvementconsists in the employment of an adjustable presser-foot so arranged asto admit of an oscillating movement laterally with the line of thestitch, the same being imparted thereto by the automatic movement of theneedle-bar, by which movement the fabric is moved laterally to theordinary line of stitching at the proper time to form the stitch at andover its edges, the presser-foot coming in contact with and against theupper sur t'ace ofthe feedmotion alternately with the forward movementof the saine, whereby the fabric is moved forward in a direct line, thusgraduating the stitch.

In the accompanying drawing, A represents a metal plate, one edge ofwhich is bent or formed at a right angle to its side, and is secured tothe presser-bar by a set-screw, a, passing through a slot cut in itsupper edge. Pivoted to said metal plate is the presser-foot B, which isso arranged y as to freely oscillate upon its fulcrum. Pivoted to saidpresser-foot, Iabove its tulcrum, is a lever, C, the upper end of whichis bent over and around the upper end of the said presser-foot, and soarranged as to have an independent oscillating movement. Firmly aixed tothe front side of said lever is a cam, D, the sides of which come incontact with and against lugs d d affixed to the sides of thepresser-foot, by which the movement of said lever is graduated. Attachedto and within the upper end of metal plate A is a spring, E, extendingupward to or near the upper end ot' the presser-foot. The said spring isprovided at or near its center with a vertical slot, c, extending upwardnearly to its upper end, the object of which is to disconnect the sameat its point of attachment. The shorter portion of said spring is soarranged as to move within a mortise, j', cut through the upper endofthe presserfoot, and is provided at its lower end with a lip orprojection, g, which passes horizontally through a mortise in the lowerportion of lever (l, above its fulcrum, by which the said lever isallowed a slight lateral movement independent ofthe presser-foot.Attached to the side of the needle-bar is a pivot, h, which is soarranged as to come in contact with and against the edges of cam D ateach successive automatic movement of the bar, by which an oscillatorymovement is imparted to the same. Firmly aiiixed to the lower point ofcam D is a metal spring, I, so arranged as to come in contact with andagainst pivot L as the needlebar is moved downward, the object of whichis to secure the upward movement ofthe pivot upon the proper side ofthecam.

It will be understood that in some classes of sewing-machines theposition of the presser-bar is such as to render it difficult to operatemy attachment by the movement of the needle-bar when attached to thepresser-bar, in which case I provide a separate attachment, which issecured to the bed-plate or' the machine in a suitable manner to'bringthe presser-foot attachment in the required position with theneedle-bar.

The operation of my attachment is as follows: The fabric to be stitchedis placed upon the machine in the usual manner, allowing the edges ofthe button-hole or edge ofthe fabric upon which the stitch is to beformed to come in proper position with the needle; the presser-bar isthen adjusted, which brings the t'oot against the upper surface ofthefabric in the ordinary manner. Motion is then imparted to theneedle-bar, which brings pivot It in contact with and against the edgeof cam D, tilting the same laterally against lug d ofthe presser-foot,imparting to said pressienne' er-foot an oseillating movement, by Whielithe `fabric is moved the graduated length et stitch laterally with thefeed and edge of the fabrie. The stitch being` formed, the needle-barreeedes, allowing the pivot to traverse the same side of the Cam, whichtilts the same to the proper position, allowing` the pivot to passdownward upon its opposite side, by which a reverse oscillating movementto the presser-foot is obtained, said presser-foot alternately cominglin Contact with the upper surface et' the feed-bar, thus moving thefabric in a direct line with its edge and at the proper time anddistanee to form the required stitch.

Mbar, substantially as described.

JOHN N. WILKINS. Y VVitnessesz N. C. GRIDLEY,

N. H. SHERBURNE.

Having thus deseribed the nature and objee

